The 5 Most Effective Black Friday Marketing Tactics

The weekend after Thanksgiving is drawing closer on the calendar, and marketers are preparing for the final push to get customers to companys' doorsteps and websites during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Clocks are counting down fast until those famed shopping days arrive, so the tactics you choose need to make the most impact now more than ever.

The data show these five marketing tools will help you bring in as many customers as you can to make the most of this landmark shopping event.

1. Email Marketing

Sending targeted, relevant emails is important for the whole weekend, but especially Black Friday. A 2013 study by Movable Ink says 38 percent more marketing emails were opened on Black Friday than on Cyber Monday, and in 2015 over a quarter of online sales for the holiday originated from emails. So to get those customers clicking, send a series of emails with different content leading up to the big day. If your email software allows it, segment your contact lists and send messages targeted to specific personas. Being relevant and helpful is the key to standing out in a crowded inbox, so create a strategic subject line using personalization and keywords about your offer.

2. Optimizing for Mobile

Out of all the marketing emails opened on Thanksgiving Day last year 59.9 percent of them were viewed on a smartphone. 24.9 percent of all online traffic came from smartphones in 2013 and tablets had 14.2 percent, so be prepared for mobile shoppers. If your website doesn't have responsive design, now is the time to make the change so you'll be ready for holiday deal-seekers on every platform.

3. Social Media

In the days leading up to the holiday weekend make sure you're on Pinterest pinning your products. Use hashtags on Twitter like #BlackFriday or even make your own to increase impressions and engagement. And of course, post pictures of the event to all your channels. Statistics show that following a social media schedule can pay off. An ADI report says $150 million in revenue came from social media referrals over 2013's shopping weekend.

4. Delivering Valuable Content

Content is the basis for these strategies. While emails, mobile and social media are helpful in and of themselves they're also a way to deliver content your prospective customers will care about. Tweet a picture of your team getting ready for the sea of shoppers or send an email detailing a holiday gift-giving guide. Be helpful and interesting just as you do with your regular content marketing strategy, but relate it all to the shopping weekend and your customers.

5. Pay Per Click

73 percent of revenue from paid search came from desktop computers during last year's Black Friday weekend, so they still have the upperhand. But marketers spent 40 percent of their PPC budgets on mobile. As with any PPC campaign, take care to make the most out of your 95 characters with keywords and a call to action, and deliver on whatever you promise.

With these five strategies in hand you can supercharge your Black Friday digital marketing campaign to add value for customers and credibility to yourself before Thanksgiving arrives. That way everyone involved gets a strong headstart on the holiday shopping season and has a mutually beneficial weekend.